On day four of the 72nd Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the winners are announced for the following Lions: Creative Business Transformation, Creative Effectiveness, Creative Strategy, Luxury, Brand Experience & Activation, Innovation, Creative Commerce.
Simon Cook, CEO, LIONS, said:“The brilliant winners of these Lions exemplify how game-changing the power of creativity and strategic thinking can be as they help to reshape business models and customer experiences. Congratulations to all the winners on achieving this recognition, and a heartfelt thank you to our fantastic Juries.”
Creative Business Transformation Lions
From 262 entries received, seven Lions were awarded: one Gold, two Silver, three Bronze, with the Grand Prix going to ‘AXA – Three Words’ for AXA by Publicis Conseil, Paris. This is the second Grand Prix for the campaign, which also won the Direct Lion Grand Prix.
Rooted in a transformative insight, this campaign saw the three words “and domestic violence” being added to AXA’s home insurance contract in France. When a victim calls the emergency number, she is immediately relocated and supported.
Jury President Jane Lin-Baden, CEO APAC, Member of the Global Management Committee, Publicis Groupe, said: “AXA has created a systematic commercial solution for a systemic problem. This purposeful idea resets the category by turning a centuries-old, commoditised product into a driver of brand preference and growth, re-defining the category of ‘home insurance’. This is what Creative Business Transformation is all about: a simple, powerful idea with maximum transformative power for business and people.”
Publicis Conseil, Paris, took home its first Grand Prix in this Lion for the ‘Three Words’ initiative.
Creative Effectiveness Lions
Of the 326 entries received, 17 Lions were awarded: three Gold, six Silver, seven Bronze and the Grand Prix that went to ‘Shot on iPhone’, for Apple by TBWA\Media Arts Lab, Los Angeles.
First launched 10 years ago, this is the most enduring and effective campaign for Apple, ultimately leading to the iPhone becoming the best selling smartphone in the world, according to Counterpoint 2025.
Commenting on the Grand Prix, Andrea Diquez, Global CEO, GUT, and Jury President, said: “‘Shot on iPhone’ was awarded the Grand Prix for its groundbreaking ability to democratize creativity, transforming everyday moments into art. The campaign stood out as a masterclass in elevating user-generated content to build a long-term platform with stunning execution. When a client commits to a long-term platform built around highly creative work that resonates globally and locally, it’s magic – it’s this unique combination that makes it truly deserving of the industry’s top honor.”
Entries into the Creative Effectiveness Lions grew for the fourth consecutive year, up 6.5% year on year.
Creative Strategy Lions
From a total of 902 entries, 28 Lions were awarded: five Gold, nine Silver, 13 Bronze. The Grand Prix was awarded to ‘Real Beauty: How a Soap Brand Created a Global Self-Esteem Movement’ for Dove by Ogilvy UK, London.
To help more women feel more beautiful every day, Dove has framed everyday women as ‘Real Women’, representing real beauty. ‘Real Beauty’ is now more than a creative idea. It is the combination of a distinctive point of view that repeatedly fuels new campaign ideas.
Jury President Pats McDonald, Global Chief Strategy Officer, Dentsu Creative, said: “In a world where millions of young women struggle with anxiety, Dove’s 20-year commitment to self-esteem has never been more urgent. From a simple but devastating insight (just 2% of women describe themselves as beautiful) and a humble bar of soap, it accelerated across categories and continents. Dove embraces culture, collaboration and community while maintaining absolute consistency at its core – demonstrating the extraordinary commercial impact of true brand purpose allied to lasting business commitment.”
Japan won its first-ever trophies in this category with both a Gold and a Bronze Lion.
Luxury Lions
From 181 entries received, seven Lions were awarded: one Gold, one Silver, four Bronze. The Grand Prix was awarded to ‘The Partnership That Changed Everything’, for LVMH by Havas Play, Paris.
Rather than act as a sponsor of the 2024 Olympic Games, hosted in Paris, LVMH became a co-creator of the Games, turning luxury into a cultural contribution. Each Maison contributed its artistry to the Olympic experience.
Mathilde Delhoume Debreu, Global Brand Officer, LVMH, and President of the Jury, commented: “The 2025 Luxury Grand Prix redefined sports sponsorship into a creative partnership with the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, embodying LVMH group’s mission “The Art of Crafting Dreams” into the idea “Artisans of all victories”. Dior dressed the artists with Haute couture creations, Berluti outfitted French athletes with tailor-made suits, Chaumet designed medals incorporating Eiffel Tower fragments, and Louis Vuitton delivered them in an iconic trunk and on signature trays. LVMH crafted the Games into a stage for performance, creativity and elegance, changing sports sponsorship forever.”
With this initiative, France wins its first-ever Grand Prix in the Luxury Lions.
Brand Experience & Activation Lions
From 2337 entries received, 69 Lions were awarded: 11 Gold, 25 Silver, 32 Bronze. The Grand Prix was awarded to ‘Caption with Intention’ by FCB Chicago for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences – Rakish – Chicago Hearing Society.
The campaign has redefined the visual language of accessibility and is now part of the Academy’s official Oscar submission rule book. Through animation, typography and colour, it embeds emotional equity into the film experience for over 433 million Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals worldwide.
Jury President Tara Ford, Chief Creative Officer, Droga5 London, part of Accenture Song, said: “‘Caption with Intention’ is an idea that will transform the experience of film and video in all its forms. Not only does it make this medium more accessible and immersive for the Deaf and hearing-impaired community, but it has the potential to be applied beyond film to all types of communication and entertainment with other applications in the future. It is a great example of how creativity can be applied beyond communications to solve real-world problems in a compelling way.”
This is the second Grand Prix awarded to this campaign at this year’s Cannes Lions, with it having already won in the Design Lions.
Costa Rica and Poland received their first Gold Lions in this category.
Innovation Lions
From 231 entries received, seven Lions were awarded: one Gold, two Silver, three Bronze, with the Grand Prix awarded to ‘Sounds Right’ for Museum for the United Nations – UN Live, Spotify by AKQA, Copenhagen.
The campaign launched “NATURE” as an official artist, transforming music streams into conservation funding. Well-known artists released tracks featuring and crediting NATURE, helping turn listening to music a climate action.
Commenting, Jury President Courtney Brown Warren, Chief Marketing Officer, Kickstarter, said: “The Grand Prix was awarded to ‘Sounds Right’ because it tackles nature conservation with creativity and a simple, yet innovative approach to shifting a cultural mindset. It’s an initiative with global scale, long-term impact, and one the Jury ultimately felt they’d be proud to have created themselves — the kind of breakthrough approach that reminds us why we do this work.”
This is Denmark’s first-ever trophy in the Innovation Lions.
Creative Commerce Lions
From 644 entries received, 21 Lions were awarded: three Gold, eight Silver, nine Bronze, as well as the Grand Prix which was given to ‘Preserved Promos’ for Ziploc by VML, New York.
With the help of influencers, the mobile commerce experience transformed expired and unused coupons into new saving opportunities for shoppers and sales for retailers.
Gabriel Schmitt, Global Chief Creative Officer, Grey, and Jury President, commented: “It was a unanimous decision, which speaks to how well rounded the idea is. Bold, scaled, ownable. It made us jealous. It made us proud to be part of an industry that puts ideas like this into the world.”
Entries into the Creative Commerce Lions grew for the sixth consecutive year, receiving a record 644 entries.
Regional Networks of the Year Awards have been won by:
Regional Network of the Year — Asia: Ogilvy
Regional Network of the Year — Europe: Leo
Regional Network of the Year — MENA: BBDO Worldwide
Regional Network of the Year — Latin America: DDB Worldwide
Regional Network of the Year — North America: FCB
Regional Network of the Year — Pacific: DDB Worldwide
Regional Network of the Year — Sub-Saharan Africa: Joe Public
